Last updated: June 10, 2024
Place
Fur Warehouse
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Tactile Exhibit
It was here the company stored its yearly trade of buffalo robes, beaver pelts, and smaller numbers ofmuskrat, bear, otter, mink, marten, and badger skins. Added to this mix would be some tanned elk and deerskins, rawhide, and occasional stacks of horns and hooves. These warehouses had their own odor, a combination of smoked leather and liver grease, dust, and damp hair. To battle vermin infestation, hides were aired and beaten regularly, then folded and pressed into bales.
Large robes like buffalo were generally piled on the floor in "huge heaps" while more fragile furs, such as beaver, were hung from the walls or ceiling. Trading posts wanted silky robes from cows and young bulls, taken in the winter when fur was thick -these robes could fetch as much as $6.00 in Missouri, thereby establishing a "robe standard" for that season. Lesser robes, such as calf robes, damaged hides, and those taken in the summer brought considerably less. Indian robes sometimes had a center split, the result of halving prior to tanning. While a single Indian woman could "dress" about 20 robes each winter, the fur returns for large trading companies often exceeded 15,000 robes annually.
Artifacts recovered here included bovine bones, manure, and agricultural hardware. There were few vestiges from Bent's era save for a scorched earthen floor, roof support stones, and a central pit some 4.5 ft. deep.
In the corner of this room are bales of buffalo robes. A bale of buffalo contained approximately ten hides, while those of beaver about 80 pelts. Bales were often wrapped and cross lashed to help them "withstand the rigors of journey to market." Scattered about the area are materials used in the bailing and shipment of furs. Underneath the planking is more storage, perhaps for alcohol, foodstuffs, or traps.
Large robes like buffalo were generally piled on the floor in "huge heaps" while more fragile furs, such as beaver, were hung from the walls or ceiling. Trading posts wanted silky robes from cows and young bulls, taken in the winter when fur was thick -these robes could fetch as much as $6.00 in Missouri, thereby establishing a "robe standard" for that season. Lesser robes, such as calf robes, damaged hides, and those taken in the summer brought considerably less. Indian robes sometimes had a center split, the result of halving prior to tanning. While a single Indian woman could "dress" about 20 robes each winter, the fur returns for large trading companies often exceeded 15,000 robes annually.
Artifacts recovered here included bovine bones, manure, and agricultural hardware. There were few vestiges from Bent's era save for a scorched earthen floor, roof support stones, and a central pit some 4.5 ft. deep.
In the corner of this room are bales of buffalo robes. A bale of buffalo contained approximately ten hides, while those of beaver about 80 pelts. Bales were often wrapped and cross lashed to help them "withstand the rigors of journey to market." Scattered about the area are materials used in the bailing and shipment of furs. Underneath the planking is more storage, perhaps for alcohol, foodstuffs, or traps.